Donors believe that their time and availability are more
important than their money. Research indicates that no matter how many times a
donor is thanked (including post commitment and post gift) the only thank you
they remember, with any degree of clarity, is “thank you for your time” – and they
will return to it time and again in the course of the relationship. This thank
you values the donor more than the money and honors the relationship above all
else. This thank you best occurs immediately and certainly within, the first
ninety seconds of a cultivation or solicitation meeting.
Following a commitment, the donor must receive a thank you
and acknowledgment in writing. This confirms and validates the commitment. It
begins the paper trail toward the ultimate culmination of the gift.
In a post-gift setting, the donor must be thanked three
times:
·
Once as an official acknowledgment of the gift – with copies
to all appropriate parties and a receipt for tax purposes
·
A warm and gracious hand-written note from a member of
the board or senior staff, indicating how much the gift truly means to the
organization.
·
A note, again hand-written, from an ultimate
beneficiary of the gift – a student, teacher, victim of domestic violence,
patient, etc. – as this is, the communication that tells the donor that he or
she made a difference.
The most important priority in development is to say thank
you. The second is to raise money.
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